Next
by wolveswolvesandmorewolves
Summary: Virals fourth book
1. A few months later

I do not own Virals. Kathy Reichs does. But she is still awesome.

Tory's POV

Bolton Prep in the afternoon was my favorite time of day. It was the time when you were counting down hours and then minutes until the bells rang and you could escape the snobby people that had to breathe the same air with you. Not that I mind, but they seem to hate it.

I was at my locker, tucking away books I didn't need, when Hi showed up.

Hiram Stolowitski was one of my pack. Kind of sounds strange, but there aren't any other words for our closeness and connection. Shelton Devers, Ben Blue, Hiram and I all were one pack, even though they are all boys and I'm the only girl. Not my fault there aren't any other XX chromosomes in the area that are my age, so I had to go with the boys.

Why did I say pack? Only because when we found a dog tag on Morris Island, we accidentally uncovered a murder mystery involving Katherine Heaton (a girl who discovered a flock of bald eagles and was stalked), Chance Claybourne (the hottest guy in school), his father, and Hannah Wythe (Chance's girlfriend). But at the same time we had found a dog tag that Katherine Heaton's father owned, which lead to the biggest change we've ever changed. My wolf-dog, Cooper, was contaminated with a strain of parvovirus by Karsten (who had something to do with the murder) that totally messed up our DNA and gave us wolf instincts we were able to call on by will. Most of the time.

Those instincts we call flaring, which is when our eyes go gold and our senses go into super high-drive. We have our different abilities too. I have an amazing nose while Ben has super strength and speed. Hi has eyes that can spot you in a half second while Shelton could hear you before seeing you. All of us though, can speak to each other with our minds, and lately we've realized we can see into each other's memories and see what other people are seeing. Kind of weird, I know, but it is true.

In our last near-death experience, we met a man called the Gamemaster, who had been Ben's 'friend' for a while before setting up the Game. The Game was a quest basically, where we could either cooperate or die. Tell anybody about the Game, and our loved ones would die. In the end, we defeated the Gamemaster during hurricane Katelyn, then afterward Ben told me all he did was for me.

And then he got kicked out of Bolton Prep, which was like a punch to the gut, even though I should hate him for almost killing us. I remembered his broken-hearted confession in the hospital, where we stayed after Kit found us and brained the Gamemaster. He told me that he wanted to be more than pack mates, and at that moment everything clicked. Why he had been so territorial around Jason when he would ask me to the cotillion and debutante stuff.

But I still wasn't ready to forgive him.

"Earth to Tory!" Hi snapped his fingers in front of my face, and I snapped out of my reverie. While I was zoned out, Shelton had joined us at my locker and was bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Sorry Hi." I said.

"Come on Tor. Ben's meeting us at the docks. Let's go!" Hi grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the double doors before I could protest.

"Woah." I said, pulling my arm out of his hand. He turned to stare at me, and I folded my arms and glanced away. I was suddenly uncomfortable.

"What's wrong Victoria?" Shelton asked.

"Umm…nothing. I just have stomach cramps." I murmur, and Hi tosses me an Advil.

"Thanks." I pretend to swallow it but when they turned around I threw it over my shoulder. I lied to them since I hadn't exactly told him about what Ben said about liking me.

Suddenly somebody shouldered me right in the back, and I stumbled. "Watch it jerk!" I yell, and the attacker turned to me.

It was Jason. Great.

Jason was Ben's polar opposite. Literally. Jason had golden blond hair with piercing blue eyes, was a jock and a total gentlemen with the ladies. Ben had bronze skin, black hair, and deep brown eyes and was way too quiet to pick up girls. He never seemed interested in anybody (well, I guess I could make an exception of myself) anyway, and he was normally referred to as 'island hick'. So were Shelton, Hi, and myself, but Ben actually had a chance of popularity if he ditched the boat and took up football and an interest in driving sports cars.

Jason smiled at me, flashing his pearly whites. "Sorry Brennan, didn't see you there." He said, walking up to me.

"It's okay." I couldn't express how much I wanted to walk away from him and this conversation. After Ben told me he liked me, I didn't know who I liked, Jason or Ben. So I just decided to stay away from the both of them and sort it out later.

That turned out to be harder than I thought.

"Hey, while I have you here, I wanted to ask you something." Jason said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"What?" Dread was settling in my gut.

"Want to go to the dance with me?"

Oh shoot. The dance.

I thought it was all over after the dance in the Citadel, but no. Whitney told me I had to do this 'Falling Stars' dance where I had to at least dance three numbers, get a picture taken for the yearbook, and had to bring a date. Stupid cotillion.

But I didn't have another choice besides Ben, who got kicked out of Bolton, so chances of him being my date are low. Kind of depressing I know, but I wasn't a big fan with the other students of Bolton Prep. I would be amazed if they even knew my name, people other than Jason.

"Ummm…I have to think about it. I'll text you when I have my decision." I say, and he smiles and tries to play it off cool, but I could see the disappointment in his eyes.

"Okay Brennan. See ya!" With that, he turned and followed the rest of the jocks out the door.

"Smooth Tor." Shelton said, shaking his head.

"Shut up." I said, and followed them to the docks.


	2. Tory and Ben

I don't own Virals. Kathy Reichs does.

Tory's POV

At the docks, I let the boys run ahead while I slowed my pace to a walk. Sewee was tied up and bobbing in the water, next to Ben's father's boat (Hugo). The water gleamed like a million little sapphires, white foam crashing against the sand. It was beautiful and perfect.

Finally my feet touched wood, and the grass gave away to planks. The breeze cooled my arms and legs, swirling my hair into tangles.

Ben climbed off his boat and onto the dock, where he began emptying buckets of ice that he had been storing his Cokes in to keep them cool. He didn't seem to notice me as I approached, and was talking to Hiram as he worked.

He was in his usual attire: khaki shorts and black t-shirt that clung to his chest with sweat. I tried hard not to stare at his chest and strangely succeeded, and instead began examining the nails in the wooden planks carefully. Any minute now, Ben would look over and notice me, and then I don't know what would happen after that.

Then Ben seemed to notice a fourth presence on the dock and looked up at me. Dark brown eyes that locked on my green, so dark I couldn't see what he was thinking. He froze, still holding a bucket, and I felt Hi and Shelton's gazes switch from him to me like this was a very exciting tennis match.

To me, it was anything but a tennis match. Nor was it exciting.

After a moment of long awkward silence, I cleared my throat.

"Hey." I mumbled, keeping my eyes away from him.

Then I felt somebody's large hand shove me into Ben's chest, and his arms went around me instinctively. Some snickers behind me told me it was Hi that had roughly shoved me, and I vowed to make him suffer. Later.

At the moment, I was too lost in Ben's deep brown eyes. And from the looks of it, he was lost in mine.

"Hey." He breathed, and I felt his heart racing through our shirts. Or maybe it was my heart. I couldn't tell anymore.

Okay, woah. That was _way_ too mushy.

"Umm…" I said, and he let me go and backed up, as if trying to make the last ten seconds never happen. His face flushed, and I knew I was red too.

"Aww…" Shelton said, and our heads snapped to him. He was looking at Ben and I the same way he looks at puppies online secretly when nobody is watching. Or so he thinks.

"What?" I ask, trying to calm the heat in my cheeks.

"Two wild and aggressive yet adorable puppies falling in lurve. Isn't it just so cute?" Shelton said.

"Are you calling me a dog?" Ben narrows his eyes.

"Love?" I warble.

"Why are you acting like a first-grade girl?" Hi asked Shelton.

Shelton was laughing too hard to answer.

"Whatever." Ben said, turning back to the gleaming water. "Want to go to Morris?"

"Sure." I say, and Hi and Shelton agree. I wanted desperately to forget what just happened, and going to Morris seemed like a perfect way. Together we launch ourselves onto the boat and soon we're speeding across the water.

I sat beside Hi and Shelton, who were both texting. From the way their phones were pinging like crazy, they were texting each other. Talking about something they didn't want me to know about probably. What though?

Then I stiffened. Ben and I? No way. Chances are though, Ben did tell them about his crush on me and they tried to help him out. Apparently in the boy's book, shoving a girl into a guy is romantic. I didn't think so.

Did I enjoy it, being wrapped in his warm and strong arms? Very much so. And I almost didn't stop myself from moving my gaze to his soft pink lips, aching for him to kiss me. Oh I wanted so badly to curl my hands in his hair and bring his face down to mine, to watch his eyes flutter shut as our lips met. Standing up on my toes to kiss him-

Whoa! Where did all that come from? More importantly, did I like Ben?

"Tory! Ms. Brennan!"

I jumped and blinked a few times, then realized we were on Morris. All the boys were in the water, waiting for me to come down. Ben was still on the ladder, looking at me intently.

"What? Oh sorry." I say, then climb down the ladder after him and knee-deep into the water. I should've taken off my shoes, damn it.

I let out air through my cheeks and followed them onto the island.

As soon as Hi's feet touched dry sand, he through his shoes down and ran off into the bushes. Shelton, Ben and I all turned away, waiting for Hi to finish his business. Hiram had the weakest stomach of the group, no matter how much he ate, and after a boat ride was always barfing up his guts in the bushes. We had all seen that before, and did not want to see it again.

Ben seemed to stand closer to Shelton than to me, even though he was in the middle of both of us. Was he nervous to stand by me? Weird.

Shelton seemed to notice this as well and sat down in the sand and began rolling up his soaked pant leg. I plopped down next and stuck out my feet to let the surf wash over them. Ben stood tall in the middle, eyes distant as he looked at the horizon.

Finally Hi joined us, and we all sat down and thought to ourselves. I had my hands behind my head, which made the hem of my shirt ride up and expose my pale belly, but I didn't care. I was under some stress now a days, with a project due and the dance coming up. But it could be worse.

_Oh yeah, it could be worse._ I thought to myself, staring up at the clear blue sky. Beside me, Hi was fiddling with the diamond stud in his ear absentmindedly, while Ben looked asleep. Shelton had sat up and his eyes were unfocused as he looked into the surf.

"Hey, Tory. Want to go for a walk?" Shelton finally said, and I sat up.

"What?" I was surprised, since Shelton and I didn't really spend much time together. I tended to hang out more with Ben and Hi than Shelton. Maybe this was what he wanted to talk about.

"Hey….Tory…want…to…go…for…a-

"Alright, alright. Let's go." I say, and together we get up. I stepped over Ben's chest and followed Shelton across the sand as the surf lapped at our feet.

"It's kind of weird, going on a walk with you. We never really talk much." Shelton said after a few minutes.

"Well, we're here now, so what do you want to talk about?" I ask him, starting to get a bit impatient.

"Nothing…I know you and Ben are…struggling, and I just wanted to say that you should give him a chance, okay?" Shelton said.

"As long as he gives me one too." I answer.

"He's been giving you chances, over and over and over! Ever since he first saw you, he liked you! And we boys would know since we've been with him longer than you have, but he changed as soon as you moved into Charleston. As soon as your eyes met, he changed. So please, give him a chance."

I was too shocked to answer. Ever since we looked at each other? That was like a year ago! He's been all over me for an entire year and I've done nothing? Why hadn't I noticed?

"Really?" I said in a soft voice after a few minutes.

"Yes." Exasperated. "So maybe next time he tries to do something sweet like wrap his arm around you don't get all freaked out or something."

"Sure." Not going to happen. It was so awkward around Ben now, I would be amazed if he put his arm around me.

Suddenly I felt the back of my neck tingling, that same feeling you get when you're being watched. I spun a 240, looking into the trees.

Shelton turned too, noticing what I was doing. Then his eyes widened, and he cleared his throat. Loudly.

"So, uhh…nice weather we're having?" He finally said, and I rolled my eyes and snorted.

"Come on. Let's go join the others." With that we spun and started walking the way we came.


	3. Ben

I do not own Virals *********

Ben's POV

My mind was still reeling from the way Tory looked at me when she was in my arms. Her mouth was slightly open, eyes wide, yet I still wanted to kiss her so badly. The urge to finally press my lips to hers hadn't subsided since, so I was trying to restrain myself inwardly.

While Shelton was taking a walk with my Tory, Hi and I had a talk of our own.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Hi flipped onto his side and faced me. "What's-up?" He asked,

I didn't reply, but shot him a look. It was my 'what-are-you-doing-you-look-like-a-dork' look.

"Dude, I know you and Tory were totally awkward back there, so I wanted to tell you she does like you too."

"How do you know?"

"Jason asked Tory to a cotillion-dance thing and she said she'll think about it."

"Uh huh." I said, but my brain was flying. She told Jason she'll think about it? Maybe there's some other boy she likes now. That made my stomach roil.

"So maybe you should just break it to her slowly about liking-

"She already knows."

"What? When did you tell her?"

"At the hospital, before Kit called me to tell the world about me and the Gamemaster." I reply, shutting my eyes and letting the sun warm my face.

"Well still. She probably doesn't know what to do now. So maybe like push her in the right direction, you know? Like when Jason shows up, wrap your arm around her or something. Little things like that. Just don't like kiss her first thing, 'cause then she'll probably run away. You know her. Likes having time to think."

"Alright." I sighed. "I'll give it a shot."

At that moment, Tor and Shelton walked over the hill, and Hi began twiddling with his stud earring again. I tried to ignore them and put my arms behind my head.

Then Tory's phone started ringing from her shirt pocket. She frowned before pulling it out and answering.

"Hello? Hi Kit. Yeah, we're on Morris right now. LIRI? Sure. See you in ten." She ended the call, and Hi and I sat up.

"Kit wants us down at LIRI right now."


	4. At LIRI

I do not own Virals **************

Tory's POV

I was kind of surprised when Kit called me. Most of the time it was something like: 'I'll be home at five don't forget to take Coop out for a walk and you can't stay out with those boys past your curfew.' But most of the time he would add something, like: 'Stay out of trouble. I mean it Tory!'

Sure, I love going down to LIRI and seeing my dad, but most of the time I didn't have to anymore. Whitney Dubois was the chef of the house now, and she would cook some pretty good food. I might not like her all that much anymore, ever since I found out she was moving in with us and exploded, but I loved the food. It was still kind of weird, having her in the house when I woke up and when I went to bed, but it wasn't much of a change. She was over all the time anyway.

After rounding up the boys, we started along the trail to LIRI. Kit (Christopher) Howard used to work there but then was almost let go due to budget cuts and it couldn't be afforded anymore. But us Virals put up a protest and found Ann Bonny's treasure, a crazy female pirate who may be my many-greats grandma, and saved LIRI. My father became the head of LIRI, and bought a ton of new scientists and security. The security was a pain in the ass when we were trying to see Kit, but he said it was necessary.

Unfortunately, that also meant Kit was always on the phone now a days. He was always up in the morning before me and came home late most of the time. But he was happy, so I shouldn't be complaining.

Soon we were right in front of LIRI, and together we walked past the security and into the lobby, where Kit's new guard had to buzz us in and out (sorry forgot the guy's name) and made us sign in and would only let me go up to see Kit. The boys had to wait in the lobby and twiddle their thumbs while I went to go see my father. Not cool, since they were my best friends, but understandable.

The guard made us all sign in but let the boys come with me this time. Kit must have told him to let all of us through this time. Now all that was left was the elevator, up to see the Dragon (Kit's personal guard that he couldn't let go) and then into his office. The boys probably thought this was easy, but I knew better.

As we went up, the elevator stopped on a floor and the doors opened. Just our luck, Iglehart happened to walk in. He sneered at me and Ben and completely ignored Hi and Shelton. I leered back, since we weren't exactly best friends.

"Your father is busy." Iglehart said without looking up from his charts.

"We know."

"Then I suggest you hurry up and run along before clogging up his workspace too." Apparently I had done that some time earlier and I just forgot, but he could hold a grudge. "And your friends and your boyfriend aren't allowed."

"He requested to see _all_ of us." I snap, and Iglehart finally looked up and took all of us in.

"Don't know why though, when he clearly has more important people to see."

I growled, and at that moment he stepped off the elevator. Ben moved to stand beside me and the doors shut again and we continued to rise.

"Who was that guy?" Hi asked.

"Mike Iglehart, the guy who everybody has said 'it's most unfortunate to meet you' to." I reply, and Shelton snorts.

"No wonder. Guy has a stick shoved up his ass."

"When he caught Tor and me in Karsten's lab, I think it caught on fire." Ben added, and the boys snickered.

"Why did he call you her boyfriend?" Shelton asked Ben.

"While we were trying to hack in to Karsten's computer, Iglehart walked in and thought we were making out since it was so quiet." I answered.

"Were you?"

"Shut it Hi." I say, and the doors open.

Finally the doors opened, and we walked up to the Dragon (forgot her name too). She looked up from her game of Angry Birds, then flicked her thumb towards Kit's office. I nodded and we filed in, shutting the door behind us.

Kit sat at his desk, wearing a grey suit and tie. His button up shirt was white, and he looked distracted while he was on the phone. It wasn't a surprise, since he was always on the phone most of the time.

When he got off the phone, he sat down and looked at all of us, staring intently. Then he cleared his throat.

"Tory, I have a job for you."

"A job?" I asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Yes, a job. Look at this." Kit said, reaching under some papers to pull out an unmarked beige file, which I flipped open and saw that inside were two notes. Typed black letters on each one, and I began to read.

It was a page full of threats.


	5. Ben-Threats

I do not own Virals.

Ben's POV

I leaned over Tory's shoulder to read the papers. My eyes widened when I saw the long list of threats, each one beginning with 'If you don't give up LIRI'. Clipped to it was a ton of photos, some of them of our homes, others of people. I gasped when I saw a picture of Tory and I walking down the dock, going fishing. Another of Shelton, Hi and I all on Shelton's floor, playing video games. The picture looked like it had been taken from his window.

Suddenly Tory put her hand to her mouth, and I saw she was fighting back tears. I glanced at the picture she was looking at and saw a tall woman with long curly red hair and green eyes, skin pale and lying on the street, covered in glass and cuts. A huge red X had been painted over the picture, and I realized who I was looking at.

Tory's mother, dead on the street.

The X, it meant that she had been killed and she was off the list. But nobody else's picture had an X on it. We were still alive, so did that mean we were next?

Did it mean that the person threatening Kit killed Tory's mother?

I turned back to Kit, trying to push that image out of my mind. "When did you get these?"

"Just this morning. Somebody wants LIRI, but for what reason I do not know."

"It has to be somebody rich, or else they wouldn't be able to pay for it." Hi added.

"Or maybe they are just looking for something?" Shelton guessed.

I froze at that. Looking for something. Could it be somebody that was looking for Karsten's files? Somebody who knew about us but didn't know much?

Immediately I remembered the list of people who were suspicious of us.

Chance.

Madison.

And Jason. Maybe, but he had been there several times when Tory or all of us flared.

It could be any of them. Chance and Madison were working together now, and Jason…had a thing for Tory.

Every time I thought of him I wanted to fray his head so bad it wouldn't fit through his shirt hole. I don't know how I managed to restrain myself.

But it could be any of them. Or somebody who talked to or knows somebody from LIRI and found out about the secret project. Or maybe somebody who already knew about the project, just not all of it. Chance Claybourne knew enough, but I don't think Madison would ever set foot on Morris.

Maybe they weren't looking for the files though.

It could be anybody.

**Okay that was totally cliff-hangy, but I have 2 rite mor chapters. Plz comment cuz it makes me want 2 rite mor. **


	6. Leaving LIRI

I do not own Virals.

Tory's POV

I could barely stop myself from crying as I stared at the picture of my mother, lying on the floor. Judging from the way Kit was looking at me, he seemed to know what I was feeling.

My mother's death was still fresh in my mind, and I put my hands to my eyes to calm myself. I was on the verge of either breaking down or going out to murder the person that killed my mother.

But maybe it wasn't the person that killed my mother, since that was an accident. Maybe it was somebody who wanted her out of the way.

Hmmmm….

Hi snapped his fingers in front of my face, and I jumped.

"Earth to Tory!" He said, and I blinked.

"Sorry guys, I'm just a little tired." I admitted, sinking into the chair.

"You guys think you can find whoever is threatening me?" Kit asked.

"Sure Dad, but remember, we don't work free. We will probably need stuff. Also, I'm going to need this file." I said, tapping it with my index finger.

"Done. Nobody in LIRI can know about it anyway. I need to make them think that we are in a safe environment."

Anybody else ever notice that it hardly ever works?

"Tory, Whitney's making dinner tonight. Be nice to her." Kit called as I shut the door.

I let out a puff of air through my cheeks. I don't know why I should bother being nice when chances are Whitney won't pick up on it anyway.

"Come on guys. Let's go home." I say, and they follow me to the elevator.

**Ok, I am like :) rite now since I just finished five chaptrs in 1 day. Mor 2 come! I apologize that this chaptr was short**


	7. Thinking

I do not own Virals.

Tory's POV

We all were silent as we walked back to _Sewee_. The air seemed so thick and tense it was going to take more than words to break it. Maybe a really big hammer.

I glanced over at Ben, who was walking calmly at the front of the group. His eyes seemed distant, and I wondered what he was thinking about.

Why would somebody want LIRI?

It would take a whole lot of money to purchase it, so maybe the person wasn't so rich if he was threatening Kit to give up the deed to LIRI. Or maybe he was smart and trying to widen the options. But with so many rich snobs, it could be anybody.

Looking at the boys, I couldn't easily imagine them blackmailing my father. If Shelton wanted to blackmail my father, he would've done it by email. And Hi…probably would think it was too much work. And after the whole fiasco with Ben, I think he wouldn't want to get me mad again.

Together we loaded up on the boat and zoomed off into the water. We all were silent as we rode along, and then in the middle of the water, Ben shut off the boat.

He joined us at the front of the boat and sat down. We all looked up at him, and he stared at the floor for a moment before looking up.

"Guys, we need to share ideas on this." He said, and we nodded with agreement.

"Who would want LIRI?" Shelton asked, crossing his legs.

"Iglehart maybe? He never really liked anybody in LIRI." Hi asked.

"No. I don't think so. He wanted the job, so he probably wouldn't want to lose it." I said, placing my chin in my hand.

"Good point. Anybody else have anything against LIRI?" Shelton.

"Not that we know of. And nobody really is in competition with LIRI, so we can rule that out." I began pulling at the lint on my skirt. "What about something inside LIRI?"

"Only three people are suspicious." Hi added.

"Okay, but we can't forget people who might not know about…the thing."

"But why would anybody want anything to do with the machines and stuff that they use? It doesn't make any sense at all." Ben speaks up.

I glance at the time on my phone. "Oh man guys, I got to go. Whitney probably has food on the table now." I say, and Ben notched the engine back on and we were zooming across the water once more.

At the docks, I helped Ben clean up for a few moments before turning to walk down the dock. It was just the two of us now, but I had a feeling Hi and Shelton were hiding behind a tree somewhere, watching us intently.

I was almost off the dock when Ben turned to me. "Hey, do you mind if I come over for dinner?"

"….umm… sure."


	8. Note from Author

**Okay so recap: **

** Jason asked Tory 2 Falling Stars Dance and she told him maybe. Ben and Tory reunite and the boys try to get the 2 closer. Kit calls in the Virals, claiming that he has been threatened 2 give up the LIRI or he and his loved ones will die. **

** Pretty good so far rite?**

** Totally mor to come. Just plz hang in ther 4 me. **

** Ok so im thinkn of doin a chaptr with Chance and Tory. Also I have 2 add the Tripod of Skank in ther somewhere so mayb in that chaptr. **

** But like plz give me a break, since I just wrote 8 chaptrs in a day. I'm totes :) abt that. **

** Slantedlove is out. Peace!**


	9. Alone with Ben

I do not own Virals.

Tory's POV

Ben wasn't kidding.

At first I thought this was some trick of his but then he just drove out to the middle of Charleston Harbor and parked the boat. Together we sat crossed legged on the floor as I shuffled and dealt the cards.

After a couple rounds, I started a winning streak. Ben, who was suddenly being a good sport, only cursed himself and cracked a few jokes before demanding another round. It was kind of fun, being out there with him, playing a stupid card game.

When my phone buzzed, I realized it was nine o' clock. Kit was wondering where the heck I was, and I saw that it was past my curfew.

"Shoot. Kit's going to kill me if I don't get home soon." I say aloud, tapping a reply.

"Aww man. I was just about to beat you."

"Ha-ha, you wish." I answer, and he laughs before driving us back to the dock. It was good to hear him laugh.

We remained in silence on the way back to the dock, but it was a good silent. The atmosphere felt light and airy, and I realized how much I had missed hanging out with Ben.

On the dock, I helped him tie up _Sewee_ before turning to him.

"That was fun." I say, slightly breathless from happiness.

"We have to do that more often." He agreed, and I turned and started walking back to the condo.

Suddenly my foot hit that spot on the dock where it was uneven. I tripped and was falling when a strong arm wrapped around my back and another around my butt, pressing my body against somebody else's. Ben somehow had caught me and I was now wrapped in his arms, staring into his eyes.

Then he did the unexpectable.

He leaned in quickly and pressed his lips to mine.

I was out of breath and so dizzy I had to shut my eyes. His lips were soft and warm, and I gasped against his lips when he opened up his and traced his tongue around my lips, willing for me to open up. When I gasped, his tongue shot forward and became tangled with mine. I was hot all over, and as he slid his tongue across my teeth I shivered. He moaned when I bit his lower lip and I realized I was kissing him back just as eagerly.

Finally we broke apart, and we stared at each other, gasping for breath. My eyes were wide and my pulse was racing, and somehow I was back on the ground. The world seemed to swirl, but Ben stayed the same, breathing heavily and slightly pink. His lips were red from our lip-locking session, and he seemed to stare at me with longing.

My brain short-circuited. What was a girl to do in a time like this?

So I did the most sensible thing I could think of (kind of amazed I could think).

I turned and ran away from him.


	10. Shelton, Ben and Hi

I do not own Virals.

Ben's POV

_Stupid stupid stupid!_

I thought to myself, pacing angrily in my bedroom. _You just had to do it huh? You were way too happy to be spending time with Tory and let your guard down. Nice going. She'll probably not even want to be friends anymore. _

It was like a waging war in my head. One side was shouting at me that the whole thing was a bad idea and that I was to blame. The other side, the side that is in love with Tory, is saying that it was totally worth it. Which it was.

_Tory probably liked it though. She was kissing you back._

Then I got an idea. Turning to my laptop, I fired up iFollow and saw that Hi and Shelton were online. I sent messages to them, claiming that it was important, and soon we were face-to-face.

"Where is Tor?" Shelton asked.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you guys about." I say, taking in a deep breath. The guys understood me. They could help. "Okay, so after we got back from Morris I asked Tory if I could stay for dinner. After dinner, we got on the couch and started watching _Deadliest Catch_ when I reached over and put my arm around her."

"Is that why you're all upset? She saw you were trying to make a move and yelled at you?" Hi asked.

"No. Around eight I left, claiming it was my curfew, but really I was taking Tory out on _Sewee_. We stopped in the middle of the harbor and just started playing Gin rummy. Sweet Lord she's good at that game."

"Okay…and…?" Shelton asked, waiting for me to continue.

"Well, she had to go back since she had a curfew, so when we were on the dock she tripped and I grabbed her. Next thing I knew we were kissing."  
Hi and Shelton's mouths dropped. Then Hi snapped his jaw back into place.

"I told you to not let yourself get out of control!" He said.

"I know, but she just looked so pretty in the moonlight…" I said dreamily, remembering how her hair shined and her face glowed softly.

"What happened after that?" Shelton asked, then came up with the answer. "She ran away, didn't she?"

"Yeah. I saw her running past a few moments ago. She's heading to the bunker." Hi said, and I let out a breath.

"Can somebody go talk to her or something?" I ask, and Hi offers to go down to the bunker and try to cheer her up. It was kind of strange how the boys immediately stopped joking around when I started talking about my status with Tory.

Hi's screen clicked out and the image before me cut into halves, myself in one half and Shelton in the other. Behind him I saw a ton of wires and plugs, proving that he was in his room.

"Any ideas about the whole threatening thing?" Shelton asked.

"Nope."


	11. Author's Note

**Ok, so I kno it kind of sounds weird that Kit turned 2 the Virals for help, but I did think about him goin 2 the police first. But then I had to figure out how to incorporate all these ideas I had if he went to the police, so I decided to make him go to the Virals instead. Bcuz of that, I was able 2 add in that little scene with Ben, and I realized it was also a good idea. Makes sense too, since the Virals have been figuring out all this stuff for the past three books. **


	12. At the bunker with Hi

I do not own Virals.

Tory's POV

As I ran, my mind war practically running a marathon.

_What just happened? Why did Ben do that? We just met up today and then he kissed me! What does that mean? _

The same question seemed to echo in my mind. _What does it mean? What does it mean? What does it mean? _

Without really knowing it, I realized I was running to the bunker. What I was going to do once I got there, I had yet to figure out. But I pushed myself onward as my legs started to ache.

As soon as I was inside, I collapsed in a chair and tried to calm my heaving breaths (Note 2 self: running after kissing, not a good idea). Getting up, I walked to the fridge Hi insisted to have and grabbed a water bottle, tipping my head back and draining it half-way.

"Sweet Lord Tory. Don't go obese on me." A voice said from the entrance to the bunker, and I turned to see Hi slipping in.

"Shut up." I murmur, swallowing the rest of the bottle and chucking it in the trash.

"What's up?"

"Nothing. Just on an edge about the whole threatening thing with Kit." I say, retreating to the couch.

"Aren't we all? Whoever it is, it should be fairly easy to find them. Why would anybody want LIRI?"

"And the list of people who know about us is fairly low too."

"Do you think the pictures can tell us anything?" Hi asked, and I pulled them out of my pocket.

"Well, the one of my mother tells us nothing. It's a newspaper clipping that had been found online and printed out. But the others…maybe we can trace the point where they were taken. Like search around Shelton's backyard since the picture of you guys was taken from there." I say, fingering the pictures.

"My main question is how they got the picture taken. Shelton's on the second floor." Hi said, and I try to remember what Shelton's backyard looked like.

"The tree. He could've climbed the tree." I say, and Hi nods.

I got up and found a piece of scrap paper and a pencil and began examining each of the pictures one by one, writing down where they could've possibly been taken from. "Tory, somebody could've just zoomed in or out when they took the picture." Hi said as he watched me work.

"I don't think so. The images are poor and kind of fuzzy, which means they were taken by a cellphone. Cellphones also don't zoom in very well, so chances are the person who took them had to lean in closely to snap the photo."

"Sure hate to be the stalker who took the photos now that Tory's on the case." Hi mumbled, and I grinned.

My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out and saw that I had an incoming call. I tapped the screen and held it up to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked.

"TORY BRENNAN IF YOU DON'T GET HOME RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE GROUNDED!" I had to hold the phone away from my ear as Kit yelled.

"Sorry Dad, I didn't look at the time. I'm coming home right now." I say, getting up.

"You better be, or I'll…I'll…do something to punish you!" Kit said, then hung up.

"The boss mad?" Hi asked.

"Uh huh. Text me if somebody gets an idea." I say, then vanish into the night.


	13. Culprit

I do not own Virals

Tory's POV

I spent the rest of the weekend in my room, trying to figure out who was threatening Kit. Eventually my brain seemed to go on overload and I had to work on homework and chill out for a few hours before working again, yet I was still no closer to the culprit.

Maybe I needed to figure out why they were threatening LIRI. That would definitely bring me closer to the culprit. Maybe I could get Kit to respond somehow-

"Tory!" A voice called, and I turned to see Chance and Madison at my locker. Furrowing my brow with confusion, I hurried over.

"What?" I asked as I spun the combo.

"Need to ask you a question." Chance said as Madison glared at some girls across the hall who were ogling Chance. The two must be a couple.

That sent a thrill of fear into my heart. Chance and Madison together? Maybe they were trying to scare me into slipping up and saying something. Or maybe they really were together. Wait, Chance and Madison liking each other? No way.

"What is it?" I asked, clearing my throat when my voice squeaked a little.

"Will you go with Jason to the Falling Stars dance?"

That through my off track for a moment there. I had suspected they would start hard-core interrogating my right there in the middle of the hallway, not ask about something stupid like the dance.

"Wait, he asked you to ask me?" I said.

"Yeah. So, should I tell him yes or no?" Chance asked, and Madison sneered at me over his shoulder.

"Tell him I'll think about it." As I walk around them and into Spanish class, an idea hits me. Maybe Chance, Madison, and Jason are working together? Nah. It couldn't be Jason, right? He doesn't have a bone in his body that suspects us. Maybe. I didn't know anymore ever since we had to knock him out at the Citadel while we flared.

That night, Kit and I sat in the living room. Whitney was off somewhere, getting clothes or something. I was balancing a notepad on my lap and asking questions while scribbling down answers.

"Did you check for finger prints?"

"Yes. The owner of the pictures and paper used gloves."  
"Do you know anybody who might be in competition with LIRI?"

"Not that I know of."

"Where did you find this file?"

"In the LIRI mailbox, which I tried to dust for prints also but came up with nothing."

"Did you find a slip of paper or someway for the owner of the threats and pictures that containing information which you could use to contact the owner?"

"Not exactly." Kit shifted in his chair. I looked up and stared at him.

"What do you mean, not exactly?" I asked.

"I don't know what this means but I found this stuck to one of the pictures." Kit pulled out his wallet and pulled out a small piece of what looked like notebook paper. On it, written in pencil, was one word. _Possessed? _ It read, and I slipped it into my wallet for safe keeping.

"Thank you for cooperating." I say, very businesslike, and get up to call the boys.

After rounding them all up, we agreed to meet in the bunker. I told Kit I was going to talk to the boys on the beach about possible leads and was out the door before I heard his reply.

At the bunker, the boys were waiting for me. Ben and Coop were playing a game of tug-a-war with a rope, Hi was eating pizza, and Shelton was on his computer. They looked up when they saw me.

"What's up Tor?" Hi asked through a mouth full of pizza.

"I think we are getting closer to the culprit."


	14. Hair

I do not own Virals

Tory's POV

That night, while our parents were sleeping, we all gathered outside of Shelton's house.

"Are you sure Tory?" Ben asked.

"Yeah I'm sure." I reply, not looking at him. I remembered the feel of his lips on mine with a jolt, and I tried to push it away.

"Okay, so who wants to climb the tree?"

Nobody volunteered, and I sighed. "Hi, I think you need to do it."

"WHAT? ME?" He asked.

"Yes you. You have the best eyes, so we need you up there to look for some clue that the person who took the pictures was there." I say, and Hi sighs. I guess he must have been tired or something.

"Fine, but I need some flare-power on my side."

"Done. I wasn't expecting you to do it without flaring anyway." I say, and we close our eyes.

In my mind, I started gathering images. Shelton. Hi. Ben. Coop. Then I started linking fiery bonds in between us, and I knew that somewhere Coop had howled.

**Snap.**

The flare tore through me roughly, which I had been expecting. But I still dropped to my knees and clutched my head, waiting for it to fade before getting up. Hi was leaning against a tree, examining his nails, while Shelton was watching Ben dig his fingers into the soft bark of a tree. From the way he gritted his teeth, his flare must've been the most painful.

Finally he opened his eyes and tried to calm his heavy breathes. "I'm ready." He growled, staring at me with golden eyes.

"Okay." I said, turning away from him quickly. "Hi, get moving."

Grumbling to himself, Hi began to climb the tree with awkward grace and often cursed when his foot slipped. Shelton, Ben and I all watched through his eyes, looking for…something…that would prove that the person had been there.

Finally he reached the branch I had suspected the stalker of taking the picture from. Breathing heavily, he began examining the bark. But I saw it first.

**Hi, right there!** I send to him, forwarding an image of the place where I had seen something unnatural gleaming in the moonlight.

Hi leaned forward and snagged it off the branch before climbing back down the tree, jumping when he couldn't find a foothold. He landed on his back and then pulled himself up quickly before running into the trees where we were hiding. Together we ran to the bunker, amazed that we hadn't been caught.

At the bunker, we all stood around me as I analyzed the thing Hi had grabbed from the tree. Hair. It was too smoothed and conditioned to be animal hair, so it had to belong to the stalker. I ran my finger over it, feeling that every strand was thick.

But none of these details registered.

I knew who the culprit was.


	15. Falling Stars dance

I do not own Virals.

Tory's POV

When I got back from the bunker, Whitney and Kit were snuggled up on the couch. "Oh sugar, I got you something! It's upstairs in your room." Whitney said, and I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it.

Dread filled my stomach when I realized that it was probably another dress. And I felt more dread when I realized that I had been correct. The dress she had picked out was a deep-blue/purple and it had been layered on by a thin veil of silver fabric that made the dress look like the night sky. In addition to it, a golden circlet to go around my head and a choker necklace that had been topped off with a gleaming amethyst jewel.

It was pretty, no, it was beautiful. And I absolutely hated it, just like I normally did with Whitney's dresses that she pulled out of her friend's boutique for me to wear. But, now that Whitney was slowly moving in, Kit told me that I had to be nice to her.

I guess I forgot to mention that, huh?

Yeah, Kit invited Whitney to move in with us and I blew up over it. You remember that, right? Well anyway, after we got back from my uncle's house, Whitney, Kit and I had a talk and I reluctantly said it was okay for her to move in. She was a lot more careful around me now a days, ever since I screamed at Kit that I was surprised he had the balls to tell me she was moving in. In my defense though, her stuff had been appearing in our house before she took it all away after I exploded.

Anyway, back to the dress. I was kind of surprised it was here, since the dance was Friday. Normally stuff like that showed up the day before. But I guess Whitney had too much free time on her hands.

Exhausted from a hard day's work, I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

(Time warp. It's now the night of the dance)…

As soon as I got home from school, Whitney was carting me off to get ready. I felt like she was taking me to death's row.

Shower. Deodorant. Makeup. More deodorant. Hairspray. Dress. And finally, jewelry and a pair of shoes.

Thankfully, Whitney had picked out a pair of golden sandals for me to wear that were only an inch high. I thought I was going to have to force myself into high heels or something, but she spared me. When I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I saw a girl with perfect hair, perfect makeup, wearing a perfect dress. That girl was definitely not me.

Who was my date for the dance?

Jason.

On Wednesday, I finally texted him that I would go to the dance with him. He grinned widely and then promised he would pick me up at six thirty before following his jock friends into class. I kind of felt bad doing that after that little thing with Ben, but I was desperate.

After a quick dinner, Whitney practically shoved me into Jason's car while Kit made Jason promise there won't be any funny business. Finally I got Kit to chill out and we were on our way. Jason was a total gentlemen and he drove us to the dance, which was in a gym for once.

I had my moment of shock when we got there though. Sitting in seats that had been set up to line the walls, wearing button up shirts and jeans, were the other Virals.

"What are you doing here?" I asked them since Jason was right beside me. Truth was, I had called them and forced them to come with me.

"Shelton wanted to crash a dance." Hi said while Jason and Ben went into a staring contest to the death.

"Well well, if it isn't baby Ben?" Jason finally sneered.

"Don't fancy meeting you here either, Jane." Ben snapped back.

"Jason, can you go get me some punch or something?" I turned to him, trying to stop WW3 from happening.

He nodded stiffly and walked away, and I sat in a chair next to Hi. "They are here. I'm sure of it."

"They? I thought it was just one person." Shelton said.

"Tory, will you please tell us who the hell it is?" Ben asked.

Across the gym, Jason called for me, and I got up to go grab the punch he had gotten for me that I didn't need.

"Come on. Let's dance." Jason said, grabbing my hand and leading me away from the punch.

At first I was horrible, but soon I was really starting to get the hang of it. Just like I had at the first dance I had to go to for the debutante, Jason was extremely patient with me. Next thing I knew, we were doing the fox-trot.

"Are you sure you have no idea what we're doing?" Jason laughed in my ear as he spun me around.

"Totally sure." I reply, feeling Ben's jealous gaze on my back.

"Can we go outside for a moment? I want to ask you a question." Jason said, and I nodded.

Outside, he took me away from the dance and into a courtyard. It was alone except for a single stone bench, surrounded by sweet smelling bushes of flowers.

I sat down on the bench, my dress billowing around my ankles. Jason stood up and held a hand up to his forehead, and I wondered what was going on.

Oh.

_Oh!_

Jason was going to ask me out. Oh crap, Jason was going to ask me out. Who did I like though, Jason or Ben? I couldn't decide.

My hand curled around the bench, clutching it tightly. What was I going to tell Jason? I don't know since I'm deciding between my best friend and a guy who is totally out of my league?

Something clicked twice behind me, and I turned around. Jason had snapped something around my wrist, and I pulled it up and saw that he had tied something silver around it. I had been handcuffed to a leg of the bench.

"Jason, what-

"Where is the deed to LIRI?"


	16. Handcuffed

I do not own Virals.

Tory's POV

"What…what are you talking about?" I ask.

"The goddamn deed! Where the hell is it?" Jason yelled.

Okay, this I had not expected. Madison and Chance? Oh hell yeah. I recognized his hair in a heartbeat when I saw it, and the small note that had the word '_Possessed?' _on it reminded me of the time I caught Madison and Chance together at school. _"She's like possessed or something." _

But Jason? You have to be kidding right? He was way too nice and sweet to do that, but I guess Chance must've gotten words into his head. Was Jason the boss of the group?

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say, eyes wide.

"I think you do." Jason said, and suddenly Chance and Madison were behind him. They looked at me through cold eyes and Madison sneered at me.

"Okay I saw that coming." I say, looking at the duo. "But why do you want LIRI?"

"Chance actually gave me the idea when he found out that Dr. Karsten had been involved with Candela. Karsten probably has a lab somewhere in LIRI, and that's why we want LIRI. But, you cannot do anything about it, since it is totally up to your father." Crap, they knew that much.

"But why did you do this to me?"

"I needed leverage. Now, I just need to call your father and make him come down here to give up the deed. Tory, I honestly thought you were brighter than this."

I had to flare. Now. Damn it, I forgot my sunglasses! But it wouldn't make much of a difference since they would just tear 'em off my head.

Maybe the boys were listening somewhere.

Chance approached me and began snapping on cuffs around my ankles. He had to twist my other hand behind my back to get the other wrist tied back, and I gritted my teeth.

Jason pulled my phone out of the pocket of my dress and began dialing. He put it up to his ear and began speaking.

"Listen up. I have your daughter captive, and unless you want her back, you will bring me the deed to LIRI. I have proof that she is captive. You call the cops and I will shoot her in the head. Here she is now." Jason said, then brought the phone to my ear.

"Tory?" Kit asked, sounding shocked and scared.

"Kit? Call the cops! The stalkers are-

Chance slapped me full across the face and Jason pulled the phone away. I felt a red mark growing on my cheek and gritted my teeth with anger.

I needed the Virals. Now.


	17. Saved

I do not own Virals.

Tory's POV

Anger and disappointment coiled in my gut. I was angry at myself for not thinking about the possibility of Jason being in league with Chance and Madison. And I was disappointed that I hadn't told the Virals about Madison and Chance. Maybe they could've helped me by now and snapped me out of these handcuffs and we would be going Chuck Norris on Jason.

Chance and Madison sat next to me on the bench, claiming that they were there to stop me if I did something crazy. But really Madison just started complaining and Chance pulled out his gun to scare me and began polishing it down to a shine. Jason was oddly making a bouquet out of roses while humming to himself.

Soon I heard a car pull up, and Jason grinned before pulling out a black ski mask. He started handing them out and even Madison didn't complain as they slipped them on over their heads. Jason reached over and started undoing the handcuffs before slapping on a pair around both of my wrists and letting Chance lead me to the street where Kit would be waiting with the deed.

What we found surprised us.

Cop cars lined up around the street with police officers holding guns pointing at us, yelling at us at once. Three more officers suddenly launched themselves out of the bushes where we came from and grasped Chance, Madison, and Jason and started leading them towards separate cop cars. An officer rushed up, and he began asking me questions.

"Do you know these people? Who are they? Have they committed crime before? How long were you held captive?"

After answering a ton of questions several times, I saw Kit. My hands, which had been free from the cuffs for some time now, wrapped around him as I hugged him. Burying my head in his shoulder, I let him hold me tightly.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." He murmured as the other people that were at the dance came piling out, curious.

"Did you call the cops?" I asked.

"No sweetie. I don't know who did that." He said, and I furrowed my brow, confused. "I just got a call from the police saying that you had been kidnapped or something."

"Then who…?" I looked around, then saw the Virals standing at a distance, answering questions. They looked up when they saw me, and I went over to them and hugged them all at once, Kind of hard to do but somehow my arms wrapped around them half-way, and they patted my back awkwardly in reply.

In the next hour we answered questions from the police, our parents, and the other students. The dance had been canceled and everybody left, grumbling and reluctant, and soon us Virals were piled up in _Sewee_, heading home.


	18. Epilogue

I do not own Virals.

Tory's POV

Epilogue

That same night, I somehow escaped from Kit's watchful eye and decided to head down to the empty dock. I had long since taken off the dress and makeup and pulled my hair down, and had changed into shorts and a tank top. Maybe one day I wouldn't have to wear all those silly dresses and all that makeup. I would celebrate for weeks.

I sat on the side of the dock and let my feet dangle over the side and the bottoms of my feet grazed the warm water. It was a perfect kind of night, warm and airy, and I felt like I should be dancing right now. Dancing. Never thought I would think that.

Behind me, somebody padded onto the dock, and I turned to see Ben wearing khakis and a black t-shirt. He didn't say anything as he sat down beside me, his long legs dipping into the water up to his ankles.

"Sorry your night got ruined." He mumbled after a moment.

"It's not your fault. And I'm kind of glad I did. I realized a few things while I was chained to that bench."

Ben turned to me. "Like what?"

"Well, I realized it was probably stupid to even be considering a relationship with a guy like Jason. And that I liked somebody else."

He leaned forward slightly, interested. "Who?"

"Who do you think?"

We seemed to attract to each other like magnets, faces growing closer and closer until our lips met. The kiss was soft and passionate and I felt like I was floating.

When we pulled away, our fingers laced together as we got up. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I curled mine around his neck as I rested my head on his shoulder. Together, our feet moved in unison, and we were dancing.

As he spun me, we spoke. "So are we…going out now?" Ben asked.

"Do you want to?" I asked.

"Of course I do!"  
"I would love to too." I murmur into his shoulder. "What do we tell Hi and Shelton?"

"Don't know, don't care. We'll figure it out later."

It wasn't my first choice of a way to start a relationship. And I sure didn't think it would be with Ben. Especially on a dock that smelled like dead fish and sea water.

And yet it was perfect.

**Ok that was totally fluffy, but I happen to like fluffy endings. That was also my first completed Fanfic and I'm so :) about how it turned out. Thanks so much 4 reading!**


	19. Epilogue 2

**Ok, so like a month later, I decided 2 add an extra chapter just for the hell of it. Enjoy!**

"Morning Coop!" I say, a little too brightly as I bound out of bed.

Cooper, normally excited but even happier to see that I was happy, raced up to me and licked at my hands. He gave me something that looked like a toothy grin before barking excitingly.

Looking over in my mirror, I saw that my tank top was wrinkled, my hair was tangled and bushy, eyes sparkly and cheeks red with a hectic blush. Sitting down at my desk, I grabbed my brush and ran it through my hair, grinning at my reflection. Smoothing out my clothes, I pressed my palms to my cheeks to calm my pink face.

Was I happy and about as bright as your average daisy? You could say that. Oh, I just feel really good after my first date with Ben, and I was a lot less stressful now that Chance, Madison, and Jason were all in jail.

"Tory? Are you awake? Can we talk?" Kit asked through the door, and I turned to the noise.

"Come in!" I exclaim, and he walked in, cautious.

"Are you okay Tor? You look a bit…over-excited. It's just me you know."

"I know. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well…Whitney and I feel terrible for what happened a few days ago, at that dance." He said slowly. "Are-are they your friends?"

"Jesus no. Just people." I answer breezily.

"Good. And the reason we feel terrible is because we should've known about this. We think that you were dropping hints and we just weren't paying attention. We feel absolutely terrible for not noticing this." He said, and I stared at him.

To be honest, I was trying to not give him clues about what was going on between me, Jason, Chance, and Madison, but I didn't say that out loud. Better let him take the blame.

"It's okay Kit." I give him a smile before patting my lap. Cooper launched himself up to me from the floor and nearly made me topple over when he landed on my lap. He wasn't the little puppy I had first seen him as a while back.

"Okay Tor. Anyway, what's been going on between you and Tom's son? I heard you went on a date yesterday." An edge of fatherly-protectiveness crept into his voice.

"It's fine Kit. We really connect and had a fun time last night. Don't worry, we kept everything PG-13."

"Remember Tor in PG-13 movies there's cussing and a naked woman or two." Kit said disapprovingly.

"No naked woman." I promise, and he nods before letting out a breath.

"Anyway honey, I got to go to work. Whitney's coming over later. Be nice to her." He made me promise before leaving the room. "Oh, and by the way, don't forget to get the mail."

"Got it." I say, scratching Coop behind the ears.

After hopping in the shower and changing, I checked my phone and saw one text. It was from Ben. Sliding my finger across the screen, I checked my messages.

**Did u have fun last nite? **

Hitting the reply button, I fingered the keyboard.

**Yep. Kit's at work & Whitney's coming ovr l8r. Want 2 come ovr?**

Tossing my iPhone back on the bed, I took Coop out for a walk. Jogging down the street, I smiled when I saw Ben's boat _Sewee_ docked at the pier. My first kiss had been there.

When I got back, I saw Ben chilling out on the porch. He wore his usual attire: black shirt and khaki shorts. He flashed his pearly whites when he saw me.

"Hey babe." He said, pulled me onto his lap, and then kissed me lightly on the lips.

"I thought we agreed not to call each other things like that." I say, shooting him a look.

"Couldn't help it. Anyway, when's Whitney coming over?" He asked, and I glanced at my watch.

"In an hour. We have time to catch up on _Deadliest Catch _if you want."

"Sounds good to me." He said, gathering me up in his arms as he carried me to the front door.

"Wait, I have to check the mail." I remember Kit's last words while Ben sat me down, and I ran to the mail box.

Slipping my hands into the little box, I pulled out a couple of letters. Flipping through them, I checked for anything interesting. Junk, bills…more bills…and a small letter addressed to me.

Frowning, I slipped my finger under the tab and swiped it across, opening the letter. Pulling out the small little note, I stared at the words scribbled on the blank sheet.

_Hey Tory. Thanks for dumping us in this mental hospital. Anyway, we're getting out in a week. And when we do, we'll be watching you, so don't slip up you little witch. _

_ -Chance_

My fingers shook as I stared at those words. I felt Ben's presence at my side and heard his growl of anger when he read the letter. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, and I was pulled into his strong embrace.

"You'll be okay, Tory. We'll be here for you." He murmured into my hair.

I hope he's right.


End file.
